Pain
by Owlipoppen
Summary: In which Daisuke's dad is drunk. Oneshot.


**A little while earlier, I posted an angsty fic about Daisuke that absolutely sucked. So, I decided to fix it up (Completely rewrite the entire thing). Still, I feel that the story could improve, so please give me some pointers. Angst fics aren't my specialty, but I gave it a fair try.**

**I suck at summaries.**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Atlus's toys, I just play with them.**

"Hey Daisuke."

Daisuke looked up from the beef bowl he was eating. It was Kou.

"What are you doing here alone, man? You'd usually invite me or Yu to come with you when you eat out."

"It's nothing. I...I came here on short notice."

Kou's tone changed, from casual to concerned. "Is it your dad again?"

"Maybe."

Daisuke was sitting on a stool in the Aiya, the streetlights dimly illuminating the inside of the diner. The moon was full.

"Is he going through another one of his fits again?"

"Yeah."

"Is...Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No... I just want to be alone."

"Man, are you sure?"

"What are you, my mom? Of course I'm sure!"

"Okay... Can I have three orders of dumplings, to go?"

Kou left when his order came. Daisuke caught him looking back at him before he left, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"I'll do something about it. Mark my words, Daisuke, I'll do something about it." Kou said before he left.

Man, Daisuke hated it when Kou gets like that. It means his friend was about to meddle with his life again. Probably with Yu's help.

Daisuke finished up his food and called for the bill. 2,500 yen. A little steep, but He had no other choice. There was no hope of Daisuke getting a quiet dinner at home today. Especially today.

He paid and stood up. He didn't want to go back home. He'd have to face _it_ all over again

_oo00(LINE BREAK)00oo_

Daisuke's dad was passed out when he got home. His mom was huddled up in a corner, rocking back and forth. This wasn't the first time it happened. Daisuke tried to tell himself everything was okay.

But it wasn't.

Daisuke could feel the guilt twisting his insides.

"I'm sorry, mom." He pulled his mom into a hug. "I should have came back earlier."

"Where were you? I was worried when you didn't come home for dinner."

"I... I was out with Kou."

His dad was drunk, no doubt. He had been like that ever since he lost his job. Daisuke was never home when his dad was in one of his drunken fits. He was too scared to be.

"Did you have fun?" His mom's voice was so weak, so thin. And her breathing was strained and heavy. Daisuke could feel bruises on her arms and back.

Daisuke took a deep breath. He had been ignoring his mom's pain, her suffering. Pretending it didn't exist. He wanted to believe that his dad would stop drinking, stop beating up his mom. But, Daisuke couldn't ignore it anymore.

"I'm sorry."

His mom jumped slightly. "What are you sorry for, Daisuke?"

His mom knew. Daisuke could tell that she was just acting, to make him feel less guilty. There was nothing his mom didn't know when it concerned him.

"For leaving you with dad."

"Sweetie, you didn't know. It's not your fault."

"I knew, mom. I knew he was drunk when I came home. I knew this entire time. But I keep telling myself it wasn't real. I heard him yelling. I was too scared to go in." Daisuke could feel the tears beginning to form. He tried his best to hold them back.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, sweetie. It's hard to process everything that has happened."

"But I shouldn't have ignored your pain. I shouldn't have left you here alone with... with him." It was becoming harder and harder to hold back the tears.

"It's okay, sweetie. Go up and take a shower. You need to rest."

"Does it hurt?" Daisuke's voice cracked.

"I'll be fine. There's medicine in the cupboard. Now, go to your room and rest up. You have school tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, mom." Daisuke let go and treaded to the stairs, careful not to disturb the unconscious form of his dad. He climbed up to his room and opened the door.

Daisuke's room was a mess. The floor was littered with dirty clothes and books, the wastebasket tipped over. Half of the drawers were open, revealing the dirty contents. A ragged futon sagged dejectedly on one side of the room, across from it a small TV.

He could hear the occasional sharp cry of pain from downstairs.

Daisuke slowly walked to his bathroom and peeled off his track suit. He went inside the shower and turned on the water. He punched a wall. He felt like shit.

Daisuke felt selfish. Guilty. Sick. He wanted to cry, to yell, to do something. He felt like a bastard. He abandoned his mom. Ignored her when she needed him. He ran away with his tail behind his legs. He doesn't deserve to live.

Daisuke let the water fall slowly down his face. Felt it drip down his throbbing hand. Sensed it sliding down his body.

Funny how some of those droplets tasted so salty.

End

**Thanks for reading. I'm thinking about making this a multi-chapie, but it works as a stand alone fic. Tell me what you think.**

**Review, it makes me happy.**


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